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Besides being great for your health, running can also do wonders for your looks and celebrities are well aware of that. That’s why many famous people opt for this type of exercise and some of them even did the 26.2 miles marathon. Check out these celebrity marathon runners.
Back in 2009, Edward Norton ran the New York City Marathon in support of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which supports the preservation of biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa. He was posting updates and asking for donations on Twitter, even as he started the marathon. “It’s very difficult. It has its plateaus,” he told Huffington Post. “Getting to 12 miles, you’re like, this is ridiculous, I’m never going to get to 26. Then you get to 15 and you think you’re never going to get to 18. Then you get to 20, and you’re kind of in striking distance.” Norton finished in 3:48:01.
After stopping to greet then-husband Tom Cruise and daughter Suri at Mile 23, Katie Holmes went on to cross the finish line of the 2007 New York City Marathon. Her time was 5:29:58.
A few years before signing up for the New York Marathon, Reynolds witnessed the end of the race in all its glory. He may have been inspired but raw emotion, yet swore that he wouldn’t put himself through the ordeal. But after meeting Michael J. Fox, whose battle with Parkinson disease hit close to home, Reynolds committed himself training in homage to his father. “Every other day I train,” he wrote. “I run like a bastard all morning. Not since the discovery of Junior High School has a torture been so effective.” Ryan did gread and finished the race in 3:50:22.
In 2009, actor and comedian Eddie Izzard not only ran a marathon, he ran 43 marathons in 51 days (after just five weeks of training!) to raise money for Sport Relief. He recorded his best time—5:00:30—on his last marathon, completing a 1,100-mile journey around Britain.
Just six weeks before the race, the former Baywatch start Pamela Anderson had told the New York Daily News that she hadn’t “attacked the running thing” and said she’s “never been a runner.” Although many thought she may not complete the race, she crossed the finish line with her brother Gerry in 5:41:03.
Known for a diverse fitness routine that includes boxing and swimming, the EXTRA host is no novice when it comes to fitness challenges. Mario completed the race in four hours, 23 minutes and 30 seconds, but he probably could have run it quicker. “I was talking and visiting with everyone along the way,” he said. “I was like Chatty Cathy, I didn’t know if I was going to make it out of the Bronx.”
He’s known for jogging naked down the street in Old School, but Will actually takes marathon running seriously. In fact, when he was in the Boston Marathon in 2003, he clocked in at just three hours, 56 minutes and 12 seconds. He hasn’t left his marathon days in the dust though: He recently participated in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Halloween Half Marathon Benefiting the ASPCA.
When Oprah sets her mind to something, she can do it. And in 1994, she decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon. Her finishing time was a very respectable four hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds. Since then, passing “the Oprah line” in marathons by beating her time has become a goal for newbies.
Transformers star Shia LaBeouf ran the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon—his first—on behalf of the nonprofit U.S. Vets, which provides services to veterans in need. LaBeouf said he was inspired to run for the cause in support of his father, a Vietnam veteran, and his grandfather, who was a Green Beret. The actor finished in 4:35:31.
I have never been a runner myself and I cannot see myself running a marathon. This definitely deserves admiration and requires much time preparation and dedication. Well, who knows, maybe as Pamela Anderson I will consider running a marathon in ten years or so. The only thing you cannot deny that running is great for your health and as you can see form the pictures, looks. Have you ever seen a fat runner? Me, no!
There is a healthy spirit in a healthy body. I admire stars, who run the marathons. It takes much will and dedication, it hurts, but they do it. I doubt I could ever do this myself. Well, I didn’t take up the idea of taking participation in a marathon yet. I just started jogging in thee mornings. Who knows, maybe soon I will be the one of these crazy sportive ones!